JP7133228B2 - RF tag and RF tag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to RF tags and RF tag devices.

For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-173747), an RFID tag capable of suppressing deterioration in communication performance when in contact with or in close proximity to a conductor or a high-dielectric body, and achieving both thinness and low cost. is disclosed.

The RFID tag described in Patent Document 1 includes a laminate including one conductive layer as an intermediate layer, an antenna provided on the laminate, and an IC chip connected to the antenna. It has at least one structure including a constricted portion.

Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-58062) discloses an RFID tag that prevents a semiconductor chip from cracking.

In the RFID tag described in Patent Document 2, the base material, the semiconductor chip mounted on the base material, and the semiconductor chip are covered, and the starting point of the bending line is so that the bending line formed when bending is separated from the semiconductor chip. and an island-shaped reinforcing member for reinforcing the base material.

Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-222423) discloses a package with an RFID tag that enables wireless communication in the UHF band without reducing the communication distance and increasing the size.

In the RFID tag-equipped package described in Patent Document 3, the RFID tag-equipped package includes a package in which an RFID tag is attached and an object to be packaged is enclosed, and the package functions as an antenna for communication of the RFID tag. The RFID tag has an IC chip and two conductive members individually connected to two electrodes of the IC chip, and the two conductive One of the members is attached to the surface of the sheet via an insulating member so that at least part of it is located on one side of the slit in the width direction of the slit, and the other of the two conductive members is at least part of the slit. It is attached to the surface of the sheet via an insulating member so as to be positioned on the other side of the slit in the width direction of the package, and the package is provided with a cutting line and is cut along an imaginary line including the cutting line and the RFID tag will have a communication failure.

Patent Document 4 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-107947) describes an RFID tag that transmits and receives data to and from an external data read/write device in a non-contact manner. An RFID tag is disclosed that does not malfunction even if the RFID tag is attached to a material or a large corrugated cardboard or the like.

In the RFID tag described in Patent Document 4, an IC chip and an IC chip used for transmitting and receiving data without contact at least to the support in the RFID tag that transmits and receives data without contact between an external data reading and writing device An inlet formed with a conducting wire connected to the antenna and an antenna used for transmission and reception are separately formed, and the conducting wire and the antenna are connected by capacitor coupling by adhering the inlet and the antenna.

Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-221838) discloses a wireless communication tag capable of prohibiting communication outside the management area.

In the wireless communication tag described in Patent Document 5, the wireless communication tag has a semiconductor chip that performs a communication operation with an external communication device. an antenna module having a tag having a power receiving section, an antenna section for receiving radio waves from a communication device, and a power feeding section electrically connected to the antenna section, and having a configuration detachable from the tag; When the tag is connected to the antenna module, the power receiving section and the power feeding section are electrically connected to each other, thereby enabling communication with the communication device.

Patent Document 6 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-70076) discloses an RF-ID medium using a booster antenna that sufficiently obtains the effect of the booster antenna.

In the RF-ID medium described in Patent Document 6, a second antenna is formed on a first base substrate on which a first antenna through which current flows due to electromagnetic waves from the outside is formed, and a second base substrate. In RF-ID media in which an inlet mounted with an IC chip formed and connected to the second antenna is mounted, and current flows to the second antenna due to electromagnetic induction caused by the current flowing to the first antenna , the second antenna is composed of two spiral-shaped antenna portions each having an outer peripheral end connected to the IC chip, wound in the same direction and having an inner peripheral end open; When the inlet is mounted on one base material, along the outer peripheral part of each of the two antenna parts including the area between the two antenna parts or in the overlapping area, spirally about the two antenna parts in opposite directions It has a current path through which an electromagnetic wave current flows.

Patent Document 7 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-117165) describes an RFID tag that does not cause reading errors due to radio wave interference even when RFID tags are overlapped, and eliminates the need for a spacer between the RFID tags that are overlapped. disclosed.

The wireless communication tag described in Patent Document 7 includes an IC chip that operates by radio waves and an antenna made of a metal film layer formed on an insulating base, the IC tag comprising: The antenna includes a slit for impedance matching, one first antenna mounted with an IC chip, and at least one second antenna not mounted with an IC chip. 2 antennas are capacitively coupled.

Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-54751) discloses an RFID information medium that allows proper communication with a reading device (or reading/writing device) and can be easily miniaturized.

The RFID information medium described in Patent Document 8 is an RFID information medium that performs contactless data communication with an external reading device, and includes a main body having an insulating member, an antenna member provided in the main body, and a main body and an optical change device that changes color or image depending on how it is viewed, the conductor has a layer of a conductive material, and the layer of the conductive material is an antenna member partially overlaid in the thickness direction of the body, the optical change device comprising a conductive reflective layer or a conductive transparent layer, the reflective layer or transparent layer of the optical change device comprising a conductive material It is also used as a layer of

JP 2016-173747 A JP 2016-58062 A JP 2014-222423 A JP 2008-107947 A JP 2011-221838 A JP 2012-70076 A JP 2008-117165 A JP 2013-54751 A

Various RF tags have been developed in Patent Documents 1 to 8 above, but there is a problem that they do not work when attached mainly to metal. Even if this problem is solved, there arises a problem that the inductance cannot be kept constant in forming the RF tag.

A main object of the present invention is to provide an RF tag and an RF tag device that can be easily attached to merchandise.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an RF tag and an RF tag device that can be easily attached to a product, dramatically improve communication sensitivity, and receive omnidirectional radio waves. .

(1)
An RF tag according to one aspect is formed by joining an inlet section including an IC chip and an inductor pattern, and an antenna section used for transmitting and receiving data transmitted from a reader, and the capacitance inside the IC chip, A resonant circuit is formed by the inductor pattern and communicates with the reader.

In this case, the inlet section and the antenna section are formed by bonding, and a resonance circuit is formed by the electrostatic capacitance inside the IC chip and the inductor pattern. As a result, miniaturization of the RF tag can be realized.

(2)
In the RF tag according to the second invention, the peripheral distance of the antenna part is any one of λ/4, λ/2, 3λ/4, and 5λ/8 with respect to the wavelength λ of the wave number of the UHF band RFID frequency. may be designed to meet

In this case, the peripheral distance of the antenna part is designed to correspond to any one of λ/4, λ/2, 3λ/4, and 5λ/8 with respect to the wavelength λ. While improving dramatically, it is possible to receive omnidirectional radio waves.

(3)
An RF tag according to a third aspect of the invention may be the RF tag according to one aspect or the second aspect of the invention, wherein an adhesive layer is formed in the antenna portion.

In this case, since the adhesive layer is formed on the antenna portion, the RF tag can be easily attached to a member to be attached such as a bag through the adhesive layer. Also, when attached to a conductor member via an adhesive, the conductor member can be used as an antenna.

(4)
An RF tag according to a fourth invention is the RF tag according to any one of the first aspect to the third invention, wherein the inlet section may have a non-conductive layer formed on the same side as the adhesive layer.

In this case, since the inlet section has the non-conductive layer on the same side as the adhesive layer, it is possible to prevent an electrical short circuit in the inlet section even when the RF tag is attached to the conductive member.

(5)
An RF tag according to a fifth aspect of the invention may be the RF tag according to the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the inlet section is covered with a non-conductive layer.

In this case, since the inlet portion is covered with the non-conductive layer, the RF tag can be attached regardless of the front and back surfaces of the RF tag. In addition, even when products to which RF tags are attached are stacked, it is possible to prevent an electrical short circuit in the inlet section.

(6)
An RF tag according to a sixth invention is the RF tag according to any one of the first aspect to the fifth invention, wherein the non-conductive layer may be made of foamed resin.

In this case, since the non-conductive layer is made of foamed resin, it is possible to improve the durability and realize impact absorption. Moreover, it is preferable that foamed resin consists of foamed polystyrene. Styrofoam is inexpensive and readily available.

(7)
An RF tag device according to another aspect comprises the RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a bag, a box, a film for packaging products, a resin sheet, an aluminum thin film, a seal attached to products An RF tag is attached to any of a bag, a box, a film for packaging a product, a resin sheet, an aluminum thin film, and a sticker attached to the product.

In this case, management can be performed by sticking a miniaturized RF tag to any one of boxes, seals, resin sheets, aluminum, and packaging films. For example, RF tags can be easily attached to products in product manufacturing factories, stores, convenience stores, and the like.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an RF tag viewed from the surface according to this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the RF tag according to the present embodiment viewed from the back side; 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cross section of an RF tag; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a cross section of an RF tag; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the cross section of the RF tag; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the cross section of the RF tag; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of an RF tag; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of use of an RF tag; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of use of RF tags; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of an RF tag device including an RF tag and a bag;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts. Moreover, in the case of the same reference numerals, their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the RF tag 100 according to this embodiment viewed from the front, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the RF tag 100 viewed from the back.

(RF tag 100)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the RF tag 100 mainly consists of an inlet section 200 and an antenna section 300. As shown in FIG.
Also, the antenna section 300 is formed at the end of the inlet section 200 .

(Antenna section 300)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the antenna section 300 is made of a conductive member. In this embodiment, the antenna section 300 is made of a metal thin film of aluminum. Generally, the thin film in this embodiment is formed with a thickness of 3 μm or more and 35 μm or less. The antenna section 300 is formed by a technique such as etching or pattern printing.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer peripheral length value of the antenna section 300 (the peripheral distance of the antenna section 300) is the sum of the lengths of the sides 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, and 301e. The perimeter length value is designed to correspond to any one of λ/4, λ/2, 3λ/4, and 5λ/8 when using the wavelength λ (lambda) of the frequency of the UHF band RFID frequency. ing.

It should be noted that the value S1 is more preferably half the length of the wavelength λ of the frequency to be used.
Further, in the present embodiment, the antenna section 300 has a shape including sides 301a, 301b, 301c, 301d, and 301e, but is not limited thereto, and may be rectangular, star-shaped, polygonal, or other shapes. It may be of any shape.

(Inlet portion 200)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inlet section 200 includes an IC chip 500 and a circuit 210 forming an inductor pattern L. As shown in FIG.
The circuit 210 has a shape having a cutout portion obtained by cutting out a part of the substantially annular circuit portion. That is, specifically, it consists of the C shape of an alphabetic character.
Circuit 210 is formed from side 211a, side 211b, side 211c, and side 211d.
Note that although the circuit 210 is partially cut out, the present invention is not limited to this, and an insulating portion may be formed instead of the cutout portion.

In this embodiment, the circuit 210 is made of a thin metal film of aluminum. Generally, the thin film in this embodiment is formed with a thickness of 3 μm or more and 35 μm or less.
The circuit 210 is formed by techniques such as etching or pattern printing.

Also, an IC chip 500 is provided so as to span the cutout portion of the circuit 210 of the inlet portion 200 .
In the present embodiment, in inlet section 200, the internal area S of circuit section 210 allows the impedance of inductor pattern L to be kept constant.

The IC chip 500 operates based on radio waves from the reader received by the antenna section 300 of the RF tag 100 .
Specifically, the IC chip 500 according to the present embodiment first rectifies part of the carrier wave transmitted from the reader to generate the power supply voltage necessary for the IC chip 500 itself to operate. Then, the IC chip 500 operates the logic circuit for control in the IC chip 500 and the non-volatile memory storing the unique information of the product and the like by the generated power supply voltage.

The IC chip 500 also operates a communication circuit or the like for transmitting and receiving data to and from the reading device.

(Adhesive layer 400)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the AA cross section of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the AA cross section of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.
5 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the AA cross section of the RF tag 100, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the AA cross section of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.

The adhesive layer 400 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or 3 is made of double-sided tape. The adhesive layer 400 is provided on at least one side of the antenna section 300 .
In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 400 is made of a double-sided tape, but it is not limited to this, and other adhesive layers may be formed or an adhesive may be applied. Moreover, the double-sided tape may be applied not only to the entire surface of the circuit 210 of the inlet section 200 but also to a part thereof.
In this embodiment, the double-sided tape is exemplified because, as will be described later, when the antenna section 300 of the RF tag 100 is attached to a product or sticker, the release paper of the double-sided tape can be easily attached by peeling off. Because it is possible to wear

In the present embodiment, the adhesive layer 400 is provided on one side of the antenna section 300, but is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. A seat member 420 may be provided. Note that the sheet member 420 may be provided only in the inlet section 200 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a sheet member 420 may be provided from the rear side of the antenna section 300 and the inlet section 200 to the front side through the side surface of the inlet section 200 .

Specifically, the sheet member 420 may mainly be made of one or a plurality of insulating materials or resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, and polyvinyl chloride, or may be subjected to other insulating coating treatment. good.
The sheet member 420 preferably has a thickness of several micrometers or more and several hundred micrometers or less, more preferably about several tens of micrometers.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6 , an adhesive layer 400 may be provided on the back side of the antenna section 300 and a foam material 450 may be provided on at least the back side of the inlet section 200 . The foam material 450 may be styrofoam, polyethylene, polyimide, thin foam (Bora-Ra), or the like, or may consist of an insulating layer such as other foam or material having insulating properties, or any foam material.

As a result, the electrical continuity in the inlet section 200 of the RF tag 100 can be protected, and the circuit 210 can be protected.

(Equivalent circuit)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the equivalent circuit of the RF tag 100 mainly consists of an inductor pattern L, a capacitor Cb, and an IC chip 500. FIG. The inductor pattern L, the capacitor Cb and the IC chip 500 form a resonant circuit that resonates in the frequency band of radio waves transmitted from the reader.
The resonance frequency f [Hz] of this resonance circuit is given by equation (1). The value of the resonance frequency f is set so as to be included in the frequency band of radio waves transmitted from the reader.

In Equation (1), L _a : the inductance of the inductor pattern L, and C _b : the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 500 .

Here, in this embodiment, the IC chip 500 includes an internal capacitor, and the IC chip 500 has stray capacitance. Therefore, when setting the resonance frequency _f of the resonance circuit, the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 500 is adjusted to form the resonance circuit. That is, the resonance circuit preferably has a resonance frequency _f set in consideration of the inductance of the inductor pattern L and the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 500 .

As described above, by adjusting the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 500, the resonance frequency _f of the resonance circuit can be accurately set in the frequency band of radio waves. As a result, the reading performance of the RF tag 100 can be further improved. Also, the power supply voltage generated by the IC chip 500 can be further increased.

(Usage example of RF tag 100)
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of use of the RF tag 100, and FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of use of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the RF tag 100 may be formed on the packaging of the bag 900. FIG.
In particular, the case where bag 900 is made of an aluminum vapor deposition film will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, when attaching the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. It is desirable that the tape be attached so that it protrudes.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the RF tag 100 shown in FIGS. Since it is protected by the member 450 , it can be placed anywhere in the bag 900 .

(Equivalent circuit)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the RF tag device 110 including the RF tag 100 and bag 900 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the adhesive layer 400 or the sheet member 420 is interposed between the antenna section 300 and the vapor-deposited aluminum of the bag 900, so that it can function as a capacitor.
As a result, the aluminum vapor-deposited film portion of the outer layer of the bag 900 can be used as an antenna.

In the present embodiment, the bag 900 made of the aluminum-deposited film is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the RF tag 100 can be attached to a bag, a box, a sticker attached to a product, or the like.

As described above, in the RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment, the inlet portion 200 and the antenna portion 300 are joined together, and the electrostatic capacitance Cb and the inductor pattern L inside the IC chip 500 form a resonance circuit. It is formed. As a result, miniaturization of the RF tag 100 can be achieved.
In addition, the peripheral distance of the antenna unit 300 is designed to correspond to any one of λ/4, λ/2, 3λ/4, and 5λ/8 with respect to the wavelength λ. While improving dramatically, it is possible to receive omnidirectional radio waves.

Furthermore, since the adhesive layer 400 is formed on the antenna section 300 , the RF tag 100 can be easily attached via the adhesive layer 400 . Also, when attached to a conductor member via an adhesive, the conductor member can be used as an antenna.

Furthermore, since the inlet section 200 has the sheet member 420 or the foam material 450 on the same side as the adhesive layer 400, it is possible to prevent an electrical short circuit in the inlet section 200 even when it is attached to a conductive member. .

Also, by covering the inlet portion 200 with the sheet member 420 or the foam material 450, the RF tag 100 can be attached regardless of the front and back surfaces. In addition, even when products to which the RF tags 100 are attached are stacked, electrical short-circuiting in the inlet section 200 can be prevented.
Further, it is preferable that the foamed resin is made of foamed polystyrene. Styrofoam is inexpensive and readily available.

Further, management can be performed by attaching the downsized RF tag 100 to any of the bag 900, box, seal, resin sheet, aluminum, and packaging film. For example, the RF tag 100 can be easily attached to a product in a product manufacturing factory, a store, a convenience store, or the like.

In the present invention, the RF tag 100 corresponds to the "RF tag", the RF tag device 110 corresponds to the "RF tag device", the IC chip 500 corresponds to the "IC chip", and the inductor pattern L corresponds to the "inductor The inlet part 200 corresponds to the "inlet part", the antenna part 300 corresponds to the "antenna part", the adhesive layer 400 corresponds to the "adhesive layer", the sheet member 420 or the foam material 450 corresponds to the "non-conductive layer", the outer peripheral length value of the antenna section 300 corresponds to the "peripheral distance of the antenna section", the foam material 450 corresponds to the "foamed resin", and the bag 900 corresponds to the "bag, box , packaging film, resin sheet, aluminum thin film, or sticker attached to the product”.

Although one preferred embodiment of the invention is described above, the invention is not so limited. It is understood that various other embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the actions and effects of the configuration of the present invention are described, but these actions and effects are examples and do not limit the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 RF tag 110 RF tag device 200 inlet section 300 antenna 400 adhesive layer 420 sealing member 450 foam material 500 IC chip 900 bag

Claims (8)

An RF tag used by being attached to a conductor member,
The RF tag is
an inlet section including an IC chip and an inductor pattern;
and a substantially rectangular planar antenna unit used for transmitting and receiving data transmitted from the reading device are joined together,
The planar antenna section extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the inductor pattern from a joint portion between the inlet section and the planar antenna section,
An RF tag, wherein a resonance circuit is formed by the capacitance inside the IC chip and the inductor pattern, and communicates with a reader. 2. The RF tag according to claim 1, wherein the center of said planar antenna section is arranged at the same position as one end of said inductor pattern in said longitudinal direction . The peripheral distance of the planar antenna section is designed to correspond to any one of λ/4, λ/2, 3λ/4, and 5λ/8 with respect to the wavelength λ of the wave number of the UHF band RFID frequency. The RF tag according to claim 1 or 2 . 4. The RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein said planar antenna section has an adhesive layer. 5. The RF tag according to claim 4 , wherein said inlet section has a non-conductive layer on the same side as said adhesive layer. 6. The RF tag according to claim 5 , wherein said inlet section is covered by said non-conductive layer. 7. The RF tag according to claim 5 , wherein said non-conductive layer is made of foamed resin. The RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ;
Including any of the conductive member, bag, box, film for packaging the product, resin sheet, aluminum thin film, seal attached to the product,
An RF tag device, wherein the RF tag is attached to any one of the bag, the box, the film for packaging the product, the resin sheet, the aluminum thin film, and the sticker attached to the product.

Images